Worker killed by reversing CN railcar in northern New Brunswick

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EDMUNDSTON, N.B. – The union that represents CN rail workers has identified the person killed at a railyard in Edmundston, N.B., as a 33-year-old father of two.

Teamsters Canada says the man, whose name was not released, started working at CN in September as a conductor and foreman trainee.

The union says he loved his new job and talked about it all the time.

Eric Collard of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada says the man was killed by a railcar as it reversed about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

He says investigators hope to be there within a day.

It is the second serious railway injury in the region in two weeks.

A Via Rail employee was hit by a passenger train as it slowed at the Truro, N.S., train station on Nov. 23.

Two Truro police officers provided life-saving first aid and the victim was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The union says Tuesday’s death is the rail industry’s fifth workplace fatality in a little over a year.

“Our hearts go out to our brother’s friends and family,” Teamsters president Doug Finnson said in a statement. “We promise them, and our members, that we will never stop fighting to improve rail safety in this country.”